Myth: My dog will no longer be a good guard dog. He needs to be aggressive to be a guard dog and having him neutered will take away his aggressiveness.

Fact: A dog’s natural instinct to protect his territory will not be affected by spaying or neutering. In fact, a neutered dog will be more likely to stay close to home without the urge to search out a mate. Most pets will be more reliable and responsible after neutering and are often easier to train because of stabilized hormones. A male aggressive dog that has not been neutered can be unpredictable and hard to control. That makes him a danger to you and your family rather than a source of protection. What makes a good guard dog is training, not whether he has been neutered. Being neutered also does not affect a dog’s hunting ability.

Myth: Breeding my pet is a good idea. My pet is a purebred and I want to breed her to make some money.

Fact: Even well-known breeders are fortunate if they break even on raising purebred litters. The cost of raising such a litter -- which includes stud fees, vaccinations and other health care costs, and feeding a quality food -- consumes most of the "profit". Just because you have papers doesn’t mean it is a good idea. Do you have a five-generation pedigree for the animal? Does your pet have a minimum of eight titles? Did you know that it is estimated that about 25 - 30% of animals that wind up in shelters are purebreds.

Myth: Spaying or neutering will make my pet fat and lazy.

Fact: Overfeeding and under-exercising a pet makes him fat and lazy. Animals that have been spayed or neutered do not require as much food, so simply cut back on the amount you are feeding and remember to play with and exercise your pet.

Myth: Spaying and neutering are painful procedures.

Fact: Spay and neuter surgeries are always performed under general anesthesia. As with most surgeries, there may be some mild discomfort after the surgery. Most dogs and cats are back to their normal activity levels within 1-3 days.

Myth: Spaying or neutering will make my pet fat and lazy.

Fact: Overfeeding and under-exercising a pet makes him fat and lazy. Animals that have been spayed or neutered do not require as much food, so simply cut back on the amount you are feeding and remember to play with and exercise your pet.

For Men: "I wouldn't want that done to me." Your pet is not you! His psychology and biology are quite different. His hormones developed in the wild to produce as many offspring as possible so his species could survive. He will be a much happier and healthier pet when you have him neutered and will never know the difference.

Myth: Spaying and neutering are too expensive.

Fact: The price of spay/neuter surgery varies widely among private veterinarians. The Metroplex has several free or reduced cost programs to provide financial assistance. Altering will save money over the lifetime of your pet in vet care, and costs incurred from caring for unplanned litters.

Myth: One litter can’t make that big of a difference.

Fact: There are millions of homeless kittens, puppies, dogs and cats. It’s an overwhelming problem that continues to get bigger one animal at a time. In the Dallas Ft. Worth area alone, every three minutes a dog or cat is killed because they don’t have a home – that’s an estimated 200,000 dogs and cats every year. One litter certainly makes a difference!

Myth: My pet never leaves the yard.

Fact: Remember pets get out unexpectedly sometimes. Also, other people’s pets get in. Our rescue groups routinely get calls from people needing to place litters who said "I don’t know what happened, my pet never goes outside or leaves the yard!"

Myth: We’ll find a good home for all of the puppies/kittens.

Fact: Every home you find takes away from a potential home for an existing unwanted animal. There are already not not enough good homes.

Myth: The Animal Shelter will find them a good home.

Fact: Animal Shelters do their best, but in Dallas Ft. Worth, it is estimated that 200,000 animals are killed every year because a good home could not be found.

Myth: Kids should have a chance to watch kittens and puppies being born.

Fact: Kids should be taught about the pet overpopulation problem and not encouraged to contribute to the problem. There are other ways for parents to explain about the wonders of birth without creating more unwanted animals.